Blaine Police Pursuit Leads To Hazmat Incident

Following a pursuit in the north metro, four Blaine police officers were hospitalized after they began suffering from respiratory issues caused by a substance in a suspected vehicle.

On Tuesday at about 8:18 a.m., a Blaine police officer observed a suspicious vehicle in the area of Walmart located near Ball Road and Lever Street in the city of Blaine.

The officer attempted to stop the vehicle by activating its emergency lights and sirens. The driver refused to stop and began to flee from the officer.

The officer began to pursue the vehicle which eventually went northbound on Interstate 35W. The suspect exited onto County Road 23 in Lino Lakes, where the vehicle was stopped when an officer performed a PIT maneuver on it.

As the officers were taking the two male occupants into custody, they began to have respiratory issues from an unknown source in the vehicle. Four officers in total were taken to Mercy Hospital for treatment.

The North Metro Chemical Assessment Team (CAT) responded to the scene to assess the source of the irritant, according to a news release.

The CAT team conducted an investigation, and the source appears to have been a combination of a leaking propane tank and a number of used spray paint cans that were in the vehicle.

Inhalation of concentrated propane or aerosol propellants can often create symptoms such as the officers were reporting; difficulty breathing, dizziness and weakness.

The officers were treated and released from the hospital Tuesday afternoon. The driver of the vehicle was also treated and released from Mercy Hospital.

In addition to fleeing a police officer, a loaded firearm was located in the vehicle, according to authorities.

This investigation is ongoing. The passenger in the suspect vehicle was interviewed and released.

Image via Presidio of Monterey, Flickr, used under Creative Commons